In 2008, when Cork faced Kilkenny in the All Ireland hurling semi final, it was the marking of a new hurling era. Kilkenny had moved on, Cork were left behind. Diarmuid O’Sullivan, ‘The Rock’, played on Croke Park for the final time. The Aristocrats had beaten the Avaricious.

Many believed that Kilkenny peaked that day against Cork, but this writer sat in the upper tier of the Davin Stand a month later for the All Ireland final, and that’s the day Kilkenny peaked. Just as Ger Loughnane’s Clare peaked in 1999 for the replay against Tipperary, there has since been no higher point for Kilkenny, and they are on the descent, albeit ever so slowly. Cork entered a winter of discontent and really only emerged from that this year with a victory over Tipperary. However, the qualifier system dictates that that Páirc Uí Chaoimh victory was only of tangible value if it was followed up with a Munster final victory. It wasn’t followed like that - for reasons such as their inability to close out the drawn game, the injuries they couldn’t afford and Waterford’s indomitable spirit, now seemingly recovered from the Kilkenny horror show of 2008.

Cork might have been described as a team in transition for the past couple of years, but are they really? The unrecognisable names who have gathered championship places this season, have only done so because of injuries. Would William Egan, for instance have been thrown into the sea if the injuries hadn’t arisen? It’s in the next two years Cork will be in transition rather than having been there for the last two years. Many of the other so-called youngsters in a 2010 first choice Cork starting team, were baptised long before 2010. But Cork cannot be totally discounted either. If their injuries heal, they will field a starting team to have a cut at Kilkenny. They will not win, but they will not disgrace themselves. Just as tradition decrees that Kerry footballers must lose to Down, it also decrees that Cork hurlers can give Kilkenny a game, and on the law of averages beat Kilkenny in a game. But there were too many shocks in the football this weekend for Kilkenny to be caught on the hop next Sunday.

This writer ventured to Nowlan Park in the past week to watch training, not once, but twice. Accompanying me on the first night was a former team mate, turned coach who is on the club circuit. The notebook was out and he was a keen observer. On the second night, two of the brains behind the Limerick senior camogie side in the first part of this decade were with me. Their mouths are still open at the level of chopping, holding, rugby tackling and general illegal play that went unpunished. Maintaining the pace and the intensity of the game is number one, anything that comes in the way of that is ignored.

As with similar visits in 2009, the simplicity of it all stood out. To be fair, Brian Cody has always claimed it was simple stuff, and that the gates are open. There is no magic wand outside of common sense. Official training begins at 7.30, but for the players it begins much earlier, some of whom are on the field pucking ball 40 minutes before Cody blows the first whistle. In general cones are used sparingly, and when used, are merely a as guide rather than as a target. The focus is on hurling to match situations rather than on becoming drill sergeants. In Limerick (and other counties) the modern day coaches preach ‘cones’ almost to the point of players being programmed to the pitch where they are waiting for traffic lights to turn green. That will make fine drill sergeants, but will it make instinctive hurlers? When the value of such dependence on cones has been questioned, the defence has always been the gospel according to the coaching manual. I recommend that every underage and adult coach in hurling and camogie in Limerick and outside, travel to Nowlan Park some fine evening and see things for themselves.

As for the game itself, much has been made of the introduction of the ‘twin towers’ to the Cork attack. Noel Hickey is much sharper in training than he was this time last year, and will relish the challenge of Aisaki Ó hAailpín. Aisaki needs ball-in-hand and space to run into to be most effective, Hickey will do his utmost, as he does, to prevent him getting the ball in hand, and one can rest assured that Monsieur Cody will have his defence organised to bottle up Aisaki when he does gain possession. Michael Cussen has won a lot of ball overhead but Brian Hogan does the simple ‘no frills’ thing at centre back and that is keeping the centre forward out of the game and holding the middle. Jerry O’Connor - if fit - is another option, but he needs the running game to thrive. Kilkenny showed in 2006 how to counteract the running game and they are not going to forget in 2010 like Tipperary did. Cha Fitzpatrick is believed to be close to the team and has a point to prove, and no better day than Sunday to prove it. The Cork midfield runners won’t be allowed to steamroll through on Sunday, and one wonders how comfortable Cathal Naughton will be if he is forced to strike the ball early without soloing.

Cork’s half back line will want to pull the strings and dictate the play. That can be done in lesser games, or against teams that aren’t fully tuned in, but it’s very difficult against teams whose half forward line like to go towards goal. It’s very difficult to be both a playmaker and a marker, and Cork could suffer in this regard. TJ Reid and Eoin Larkin were disappointing on Wednesday night last, but apparently they delivered in spades in the game on Saturday. A lot depends on Sean Og hAailpin’s fitness because Ray Ryan is no Fijian when it comes to the big games. Liam Watson plundered 0-6 from play in the Antrim game by simply being a maverick and not worrying who he was supposed to be marked by. Kilkenny have six forwards that can be mavericks.

The ultimate difference between the teams is that Cork rely on precision play to maximise their chances of retaining possession and ensure that the forwards win quality ball. Most of the Kilkenny players, on the other hand can, win any kind of a ball, but they also play with precision when it suits. When the intensity rises, the precision play can lessen. Kilkenny hold the edge in this regard. Kilkenny have always had something to drive them on. Perhaps it will be John Tennyson who did his cruciate last week in training and was attended to as play went on? Or perhaps it’s losing to Cork on the league.

Kilkenny to win.